Only if
by SugarFairyT
Summary: Natsu is a demon, dragon, human hybrid tasked with monitoring the slayers of fairy tail by the Dragon Council. After falling ill 400 years ago from an ambush attack, Natsu is poisoned and only has limited time to save the world with the help of those he's monitoring. What happens when they find out? Will the world be in even more danger? Read and find out!
1. Return

**Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic and I can't believe that I'm actually posting this *goes into corner and rocks back and forth*  
Anyways, give me some ideas to either help me or just because you want me to change it a bit, can't wait to hear your reviews. Till t** **hen!**

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Little light shown through the darkened windows of a dusty old room. The only occupants of this room are some furniture and a sleeping boy. Occasionally there would be visitors, but not very often.

"Brother, when will you wake up?" A soft, sorrowful voice said as he lit a candle on the bedside of the sleeping figure, now illuminating his pale face and dark hair.

Little did he know that the figure was indeed waking up.

Heavy arms shifted ever so slightly, legs twitched, and groggy eyes cracked open only to shut as soon as they registered the light.

The other man who had sat down noticed this and sprang up and dashed out the door to call some nurses in. Almost immediately different nurses with unusual features hurried through the door and to the bed where the figure fully opened his blurred eyes.

"Natsu, you're awake! I'm so glad!" The person cried as he held the now identified Natsu's hand in a death grip, afraid to let go. As this was happening, the nurses did their check ups to make sure he was indeed awake and not going to go back to sleep and then left to give the two privacy.

Soft moans emitted from Natsu's mouth as he tried to sit up to see the other person better. The figure held him down and started to chide him. "You shouldn't be moving right now, brother. Let your body wake up first, I don't want you hurting yourself."

"Mmmn Ze-Zeref? Wha- ugh what is go-going o-on?" Natsu asked confused. He wasn't playing dumb either, he had no idea what happened. The last thing he remembers was-

"*gasp* Ze-Zeref! What abo-about the others? Did th-they sur-survive? All that fire a-and destruction..." he trailed off, remembering the horrifying screams of his comrades as they were slaughtered.

"I'm sorry, no one else survived but you. I honestly don't know how we have survived this long though without you," the black haired Zeref said absent minded.

"What do yo mea-mean? This long?" Natsu asked, scared of the answer he'd receive.

"Brother, you've been in a coma for the past 400 years. After that fatal injury you were blown, you just shut down due to the poison."

"Poison? Why do I have p-poison in my body?" He asked, now terrified of the thought.

"That day, when you were retreating, all hell broke loose. You were attacked and fought off all 5,000 but one. That one was sneaky and kept hidden till the last second. I'm sorry, we don't have a cure, but we think we're close," Zeref said in a faraway voice, remembering when he was brought home beaten and bloody and unresponsive to everything around him.

When he said that, Natsu realized why he was in so much pain just trying to move. His body felt like it was on fire! His eyes widened as he felt himself try to curl up to ease his pain but in turn causing more pain. Zeref saw this and went to stop him.

"Brother! Try not to move so much if it causes you pain. I'm right here, tell me what's wrong. I'm sorry I can't do more to ease your pain," he said, switching from happy to sad as he switched topics on himself.

"My thr-throat and chest hurts. It feels like it's b-bur*cough*ning!" He exclaims in pain only to start coughing violently, unable to stop. The older of the two sprung up to envelope the younger in a hug, and rubbed soothing circles on his back as he coughed. Black and purple sludge was escaping from the cracks in his hands as he held them to his face. His lungs burnt and air would not go in. No matter how much air went in, he would just cough it all out. Zeref's touch and soothing notions, however, calmed him down, but he was still left gasping for air. After the coughing fit, Zeref wiped the sludge from where it spattered, suddenly terrified over Natsu's health.

"Brother? What was that? Are you alright now and do you want me to stop? Should I go get some nurses if you're feeling unwell? Do you need some-" he shuts him up by weakly grabbing him and saying," S-shut up, a-and just s-stay here with m-me"

The dark-haired man just smiled and settled himself next to him, each other enjoying the company. Natsu's breaths started to even out but even then he would still cough every now and then, making his lungs burn all the more.

Once he's calm enough to start speaking again he looks up at him and start to speak, his voice heavy with strain from his earlier coughing fit, "Zeref, I-I need some water, m-my throat burns."

Zeref looks down at him sad with the thought of leaving, but perks up with an idea and grins evilly," Alright, Natsu, I'll get you some water, just let me call someone in here to do it for me. I don't want to get up,". Natsu develops a smile like his and he weakly chuckles at him, because he too, did not want Zeref to leave. Zeref smiles warmly and rubs Natsu's head, then he rings a bell by the bedside. A little while later, a nurse comes in, but she starts to blush at the scene of him cuddling with his brother.

"Y-yes, my Lords, what do you need?" she asks, still blushing over their position. Natsu's head was laying on Zerefs chest as he comfortingly rubbed his back through the flimsy fabric of the linen shirt and holding him tighter as he coughs weakly.

"Yes, he needs some water, will you get that for him? Also," he starts with a serious expression on his face and continues darkly," this is not what it looks like so you can wipe that silly blush off your face. I am merely comforting my brother who is in pain."

She quickly blushed in embarrassment and bowed to him, "I'm sorry my lord, I did not know the situation and came to my own conclusions, I'll take my leave to fetch you the water," and with that, she was gone.

Natsu looked up at him questioningly and he just smiled and shook his head while chuckling. He decided to ask a question that was on his mind for a while. "B-brother, when was the last time we spent time with each other?"

Zeref looks down at him once again and he feels scrutinized under his gaze, after a pause he finally speaks, "Hmph a very long time. You were away at war for 300 years then for 400 years you've been unresponsive, so I would say 700 years... damn now I feel like a bad brother."

"That long? Heh we need to hang out more but I have a feeling it won't be for long!" Natsu exclaimed quietly, but calmly. Zeref starts to laugh and says, "Yes, you are right. There's still many things to be done until we can relax. But just remember, my arms are always open." He just hmmed and closed his eyes waiting for his water.

A few minutes later, the nurse came back with his water and some other nurses to do his vitals again to make to try to see what that sludge was and to see if it was detrimental to his health.

He just smiled and sat up to let the nurses do their work, then he turned his attention to his brother only to see him hesitating. "I'll be right here, I'm not going anywhere, now, please, drink your water," Zeref finished and lifted the cup to Natsu's lips for him to drink, then he stepped back to blend in with the shadows.

The nurse closest to him started talking and started to piss him off, "Hello my Lord, it is good to see you awake and kicking, I mean after all this time I would've thought you would already be awake. Why did a handsome face like yours have to get so hurt?! I mean your beautiful and I wouldn't change anything about you, well except for your hair. Pink is not a man's color, you know."

"Is that so, Lamy? Would you like to take that up with my father? I know for a fact that he's scarier than me. I appreciate you saying my brother is handsome and all, but was that comment really necessary? He can't change his hair color any more than you can change your patheticness. Now it's either you shut up or I make you," Zeref says protectively while partially stepping out into the light, making him look even more intimidating.

"Ohh, your Majesty! I did not realize that you were still here, I am truly sorry for what I said. Please have mercy on me!" the now revealed Lamy, exclaimed sarcastically.

"Calm down now and get your ass to work or do I have to punish you?"

"Y-yes y-your Majesty, r-right away!" and after that, she got back to checking his vitals.

"I'm sorry for her incompetence, she really needs to learn manners. I'm sure you've had questions, but our distraction got in the way. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"It's ok, I'm sure she didn't mean any harm by it," Natsu says weakly.

"I understand that but she needs to learn when to stop." Zeref pares back with him.

"My first question would have to be what did you mean, 'the last of our kind'? I don't exactly remember much at the moment... Its kinda fuzzy at the moment," Natsu says sheepishly

"Over the years, many people have been against any breeding between humans and demons, and humans and dragons. They would go and try to kill them when a group became known. Our mother was the result of a human and a demon while our father was the result of a human and a dragon. Others have also fallen in love and had kids thus creating the H.D.D species. The humans were furious and started hunting us down trying to kill us, but they were never able to get us, with us being the rulers of this land. Our fathers mother was a princess and she fell for a dragon, they had him, making him a prince and then he met your mother by saving her from a mob. It is strictly forbidden to hurt a royal so they have left her and us alone since then."

"So we're two parts human, one part dragon, and one part demon? That's fucking awesome!" He said, happy that he was something so rare. However he was still irked at the fact that several parts of his memory was missing. He only remembered that his name was Natsu, he was a prince, his brother is Zeref, he was in a war, details fuzzy, and they were retreating when everything went to hell.

"Next question, how exactly old am I?"

"You were 1100 years old when you went into battle, you are now 1800 years old. We're twins, before you ask," he looks out the window to see that it's dark out. "Natsu, it's late, you should be getting some rest right now. There's going to be someone that we've been waiting for for 400 years coming tomorrow to try and help you and to help you in this situation. We have no real info on her, but she joined the Dragon Council recently and had to go through some tests... How ironic the timing I must say. I'll tell you that tomorrow before she comes, so don't worry," he said before he realized he's on the council too, "Ohh and Natsu, you're on it too, hehe," he finished sheepishly.

"Ehh, could be worse being on the human one, am I right?" He joked lazily with him with a yawn. "Night brother, I'll see you tomorrow," and with that, he closed his eyes to get some sleep.

He leans down and kisses his forehead and says," Of course, good night. I love you little brother, I missed you. Don't ever leave me again."

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 **Yo, everyone! You must be pretty pissed off with me changing everything, eh? Well, who cares? I don't think I'll ever update this chapter or chapter two again cause I seem pretty content with it. Thanks for reading, JA NE!**

 **UPDATE**

 **I have edited this so many times it's unreal and I apologize for that. I started this story years ago but it doesn't feel right to take it down so I'm going to fix things. For those of you who had stayed with me I thank you whole heartedly. I switched platforms so now I'm mainly at Wattpad but I'll try to update these too! Enjoy the hopefully last first chapter again lol... I feel bad**


	2. Road to recovery

**Hello everyone! I'm back for chapter two! Thank you for taking time to read this and actually follow me. I was surprised to see that because this is the first fanfic I've actually posted, so thanks for the support! Now, onto the story! Loopholes remember!**

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"THUD" a small girl falls through the door and lands on her face. "O-ow, that really hurt! I need to be more careful" a little girl said. She had long blue hair that is in two ponytails held together by two animal ear like attachments with two strands of hair framing her face. She has brown eyes and sharp teeth along with fair skin and is wearing a simple dress with two wavy stripes running across the dress and has pointed edges at the bottom. Around her arms and legs, she wears wing-like attachments.

"Are you the healer that the Dragon Council sent to help my brother?" my brother demanded.

"Y-yes I am. I'm s-sorry I'm late. Please don't tell them! They already think I'm useless!" she exclaims.

"It's fine, just make sure it doesn't happen again. Make sure you do a good job or else I might just have to tell the council. Now come over here and help him." Zeref said coldly, lightly glaring at the girl, making sure she gets the hint to not mess up or certain pain will follow.

"A-alright, I will do my best! If it's alright, the council asked me to verify a few things with you?" she asks while walking over to me.

"Fine, as long as it isn't too personal, and nothing that requires a lot of talking! You're only here to help get rid of the poison. It isn't actually going to be gone completely, we need a slayer for that and we don't have one."

"Okay, I'll stick to the ones with easy answers then. The first question is, what happened?"

"Ahh, that? I'm still slightly unsure of what actually transpired but I can tell you what I understand. My group and I were on our way back to Headquarters after retreating from a fight we couldn't win. They chased us and slaughtered us till there was only me left fighting the last dragon. If I was anyone else, I would've died on the spot but I instead fell into a coma, that was 400 years ago now" I say hoarsely, trying not to give in to the scratchiness that is my throat.

"Oh my! That's terrible! The Council said something like that but I didn't want to believe something as awful as that!" she exclaims in dismay.

"... Yes, quite unfortunate. Now, please continue with your job or do I have to motivate you?" Zeref warns tensely, not wanting to hear the pain that was his brothers past again.

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 _ **Two weeks later**_

"I've done all I can my Lord, I just wish I could do more." the bluenette said sadly.

"We appreciate your help child, your carriage is out in the front waiting for you to bring you to Headquarters," Zeref says in front of my door as I get dressed inside for my meeting with the Elders. Over the past two weeks, my memory has returned to what it once was and the wound on my chest is gone. Truly a shame that they couldn't find and train someone suitable for sky slayer magic for 400 years.

"It was no problem, I actually enjoyed treating him! If he were to still be in pain, I couldn't forgive myself! " the girl admitted

"Is that so? Well, I think it is very admirable that you would think that" he responded happily

"Ahh, please your highness, you're embarrassing me!" she sais embarrassingly and started to blush as bright as a tomato

"Well, would you rather have me displeased with your work and lecture you about it? I don't think I would like that, either way, yo-" a horse is heard neighing outside, reminding them that the girl had to leave in order to report to the Council what she had learned and tell of his condition.

"I'm sorry your majesty, I have to go. Make sure his highness doesn't exert himself, get excited, or get too nervous or else he will have a fit and kill him faster. He only has about 20 human years to live, and every time he exerts himself, that amount of time will decrease. I don't know why he woke up, but it might be due to the dragon that poisoned him waking up as well.

"Thank you for your assistance in this matter, I'll be sure to tell him," the dark mage said sadly.

"I'm sorry my lord, I wish he had more time as well, but we can only hope he runs into a poison dragon slayer willing to eat the poison from him," the small bluenette said.

"Well then, I'll have to keep my eyes open for one, have a safe journey child," she nods and runs off while Zeref stands there going over this information in his head.

A tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts and he looked behind himself. I stood there in my new Council clothes. The overcoat was black with red trim on the cuffs and collar and there was a white dress shirt underneath that had a gray tie. The pants were black as well with red trim coupled with white and gray socks with black shoes.

"They really went over the top this time, huh?" I said, unhappy with all the colors and the addition of the tie.

"Haha, yeah I guess they did, but I can't help but notice you look good in it," my brother said approvingly.

"Speak for yourself, your wearing the same thing as me! I don't get why we have to dress up like this if we're just going to a meeting" I exclaim in disgust

"Calm down Natsu, I was told that you need to keep calm or you're going to have a fit and start coughing. It will shorten your lifespan and you only have 20 more years left. That's more than enough time to find the poison dragon slayer," the boy said frantically and paused to get a better look at his brother. His eyes widened and he, worriedly said, "Besides! You already look pale!"

"Really? I guess that it's good that I can keep calm under stressful situations then, huh? And 20 years? Didn't it take 400 to find a sky slayer? What makes you think we can find a poison one, one of the rarer breeds?" I said quizzically, calming myself down for the situation at hand.

"A few days before you woke up, we received word that a poison slayer was spotted and we've been trying to track him down since. Now, we need to get going if we are to have this meeting, are we not? Our carriage is out front, it will take a few hours till we arrive so we might as well get comfy" the black haired man said while walking down the hall to the front door of the castle. I followed him down the hall and into the carriage almost on autopilot.

"Hmm, I wonder what my future will behold. 20 years? That should be enough time to find a man that they know exists... I hope," with that thought, they started their journey to the place set for the meeting.

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Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't really explain what was going on and I do t want people to ask rude questions so I'm just going to explain it here. Natsu and Zeref have separation anxiety. Natsu with not seeing his brother and the fact that he's slowly remembering and Zeref cause he's only seen Natsu sleep for the past 400 years. Also no one can remove the poison because it is so toxic. Hope this helps


	3. Mid war mission

Hey **you guys! Sorry it took so long, but when I tried to start up the third chapter, it didn't take and everything went away. Anyways, back to the story! Enjoy Only If chapter three, The Council and the Guild**

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Third Person P.O.V

The duo finally arrives at the place set for the meeting, it was a large, abandoned building with towers at the corners and a wide open space in the middle, large enough to fit the Council of Dragons. The meeting place was old looking with the paint chipping and bricks jutting out every now and then.

"Brother, isn't this the place we last met when I last had a meeting?" Natsu asks questionably while looking around at the familiar structure, bringing back good memories.

"Yes it is, they thought it fit that your last would be your first. Poetic justice they said it was but I know we both know that they were too lazy to find some other place to meet that would fit them all without anyone noticing," Zeref answered with an exasperated expression on his face.

"What do you mean Zeref? Are the lands that they previously used being overrun with humans? Are they doing anything about it?".

"Yes, while you were asleep the humans have been expanding and discovering powerful magic making everything more and more difficult. They have taken land belonging to the dragons without a care in the world, most likely not knowing what they have done. The meeting spots they previously had are long gone and now only a few remain."

Suddenly a large gust of wind blew through the old fortress, kicking up stray leaves, dirt, and rocks. Looking up you'll be able to see the imposing figures of five dragons. One dragon had grey scales that look like armor surrounding his whole body. Around his eyes are what looks like eyelashes and his eyes themselves are dark pits with white pupils. Another dragon was completely black and had built in horns on the top of his head with hair that makes it look windblown. The third dragon was completely white and has antlers on the top of its head and long white hair that gave him the appearance that they were old and wise. Its hair hung below his chest and on its stomach with a beard on his chin. The fourth dragon was white and had feather-like wings with blue eyes. The dragons ears were cat-like and on the top if it's head. The last dragon and one of the most imposing out of the other four had red scales all over its body with a tan underbelly and a large jaw, showcasing its enormous teeth. On the jaw of this dragon were scars from previous battles.

"Sadly it is true Natsu, our lands have been taken from us but we will not fight back because that will only bring another war that we don't want. Too many years have we fought and died, and still, we fight. The dragon slayers we trusted so much have turned on us, siding with our opposing forces hoping that they won't get killed, as foolish as that seems. But enough talk, it is good to see you again!" the red dragon said in a booming voice, at first filled with sorrow but lightening up at the end.

"Indeed, Igneel-Sama, it is good to see you again as well. I hope my absence hasn't caused you too much trouble?" Natsu answered back in a respecting tone, very rare for him to do as he only does it to those he truly respects. He starts to feel a tingling in his throat but he holds it back as to not look weak.

"Don't forget about us gaki, what are we? Chopped liver?" the grayscaled dragon questioned with a tone promising death if he answered incorrectly. Clearly not liking the fact that he wasn't spoken to first.

At that, Natsu turned and gave the metallic dragon a deadpan look before saying," What was that 'Cana? You were talking? I didn't know that. Maybe you should speak louder or possibly opening your mouth cause clearly, that would help."

"Ahh so cruel Natsu-kun! I see your snarkiness never left even after everything that you've been through. Makes me wonder if you need a poison dragon slayer at all!" The sleek white dragon taunted, laying down on her back with her claws in the air then rolling over so she could face him. Definitely a sign of maturity...

"Enough of this foolishness! Grandeeny, Metalicana! Get your acts together so we can start this meeting! We do not have all century to do this, I fear the world would end by then. This meeting is of the utmost importance and to see you goofing around angers me greatly!" the back dragon bellowed, unhappy with the groups' unprofessionalism in the serious matter at hand. He was interrupted from saying more, however, by the old looking white dragon. "Skaidrum, stop being so stuck up all the time. You need to loosen up every now and then or else your going to constantly be tied up in a knot and will be difficult to be undone."

"Weissologia, what were to happen if we would be attacked right now by a squad of enemy dragon slayers? You have no plan, you have no advantage, and you have no seriousness in the situation! I'm starting to wonder how you even got the position of Elder to get on this council, you have no tactics and your always fooling around! Grow up, Weiss! I thought that all this time would harden you up but it appears that I was wrong! All you do is-" he was suddenly cut off by a glare by an enraged Igneel, having had enough of their bickering for the time being.

A sigh escaped him as he settled down on the ground waiting for everyone to quiet. When they were silent, Igneel started the meeting."Natsu, I will get straight to the point- the situation has gotten worse as the dark guilds are banding together and taking slayers to join their ranks against us. We need you to go and save any slayer that you can and prepare them for the war. We want you to hide tour abilities and join the light guild named fairy tail to accomplish this mission. You are to use any means necessary but do try to be fast because we have no idea when they will strike. Do you understand your mission Natsu Dragneel? Do you accept?"

"Yes sir! I will take this mission even if I die due to not finding the poison slayer in time. When do I leave?" Natsu asked the dragons, coughing slightly in the process. Even though he was eager to start, he silently wished to spend a little more time with his brother that has been keeping silent and just choosing to watch everything play out.

" Its fine Natsu, I'll always be close by even when you can't feel my presence. I enjoyed the time I had with you and that is all I need. Go, complete your mission and save the world, make me proud little brother and remember, don't strain yourself too hard, the poison will spread faster that way," Zeref suddenly said with a reassuring but serious smile.

"We have no time to waste, leave as soon as possible. We can not let this world fall into darkness any more than it already has. We believe in you and trust in your skills, but even so, stay safe," Grandeeny said, ushering him along so he can start with his mission that was many years too late.

"Okay, Grandeeny, Ill see you all soon!" Natsu said as he walked away, towards the carriage, waving back to the dragons, not knowing when he'll see them again, but determined to complete the mission he was given.

Two Weeks Later

'So this is the infamous Fairy Tail guild? I would have thought it would have been larger, after all, it does house a lot of wizards. I guess I should go in, but there seems to be a brawl going on. I should wait till it's done.' Natsu thought in his thirteen-year-old form as he stood in front of the guilds gigantic doors. The guild hall represented a three-story pagoda building with a big golden Arabian dome at the top. Along the top floor of the building are three banners, with the middle one being the Fairy Tail flag. The entrance has carved fairies with the name of the guild in big golden letters.

"It would be useless just standing there waiting for the brawl to stop. It only stops if someone of high respect or common fear is there and currently Erza is not here so I must do so. Name's Makarov Dreyar and I'm the master of this guild, are you here to join?" a little old man with an orange and blue jesters hat with an orange coat to go over a white shirt that clearly displays the guild's symbol says.

'Why the hell is he so short? Did he get cut in half or something? I didn't even notice him because of his size! What the hell is he eating? Sigh, I have a mission to do so I better get to it.' thought the salmon haired boy before he said, "What's a guild and why are you so short?" with fake curiosity.

Tick marks immediately appeared on the short man's forehead. "WHY YOU-... Ahem. I'm sorry, a guild is a place where wizards band together to take jobs and make friends, bonds so tight one can be considered as family. As we like to say, 'Do fairies have tails? More than that, do fairies even exist? Nobody knows for sure. So this guild is like them, an eternal mystery, an eternal adventure.'" the short old man responded.

"... You're confusing old man. Also, you never answered my question." Natsu stated blankly.

'Sigh' "When you get old, you slowly become shorter and shorter. I was unlucky enough to be this short. My explanation totally makes sense your just too stupid to see it. Now, are you here to join or did you get lost?" Makarov painfully deadpanned.

"Really?! I can do that?!" Natsu exclaims with fake stars in his eyes. 'Ohh my fucking god my throat feels like it's on fire! Not even an hour in and I'm hating this. When will this torture end and I go back home?' he inwardly complained.

"That you can my boy, what is your name if I may ask and where is your father? I need to make sure your folks are okay with this" Makarov asked. 'A boy his age shouldn't be walking around by himself. Now that I think about it, he looks like he's hiding something from me. A big secret no doubt, but I'll ask him about it privately in my office later. His aura feels different too, like pride, power, and wisdom. Why would a boy like him give off an aura like that, why does his aura make me feel I am just a child compared to it?! Who is this boy and where did he come from?!' the old man could barely keep his thoughts together and only snapped out of it when the boy no older than 13 was waving his hand in his face to try to get his attention.

"Yo old man, are you in there? You were spacing out for a while. To answer your question, my name is Natsu Dragneel. My dad is dead, but my surrogate father is a dragon. I don't know where he is and I miss him dearly." he finished in a sad tone, not revealing who he was talking about.

"Ahh, I see Natsu. After you meet the others, would you mind following me to my office? There seems to be something that you are hiding and is uncomfortable to say it in the open. My office will provide that security you need to tell me these things. I will not tell anyone what you tell me, it's just you and me up there, alright?" this was more of an order than a question and Natsu knew it.

'Shit! He found out that something was amiss and now he wants me in his office so I have to tell him about my mission. No, wait, I don't have to! I can just lie to him about it, no one would know! I'm a genius, no wonder Nii-chan said that about me!' he thought with a slight almost unnoticeable smirk, but Makarov saw this.

"Before you get any ideas, which I can see you already have, you will not lie to me about this and tell me the truth. I do not want to punish you for lying to me. As you can tell I do not like being lied to" the old man said in a very strict tone.

"I guess I have to no matter what, huh?" Natsu sighed. 'At least I won't tell him everything, that would be a bad move if I did'

"Yes, now follow me before my guild is completely destroyed by these brats" he finished with a little sweat glistening on his forehead.

Makarov kicked open the doors and shouted, "Listen up you brats! While I was at the monthly guild master meeting, I heard something that really displeases me. I will deal out the punishment later, but for now, we have a new member of our ever-growing family! Meet Natsu Dragneel!" he shouted. At first, it was stern but as soon as he mentioned Natsu, his demeanor did a 180 and was all excited.

After hearing that, the guild burst into cheers so loud that they hurt Natsu's ears. They partied for a few hours, much to his displeasure. After all was said and done, he was told to sneak away into his office up on the third floor. Everyone was too busy partying to notice the little boy. That is, except for a certain blonde haired Dragon Slayer.

"Gramps, who's the kid that just went into your office?" he asked

"That's what I'm about to find out. The kids' name is Natsu Dragneel, but I can tell something is off about him"

"Like what?" the blonde asked but was ignored as the short old man pushed him to the side.

"All in due time Laxus, all in due time"

In the Guild Masters Office

"Sit down boy, you don't need to stand for this" Makarov said as he walked into the room and saw Natsu standing. As soon as they both were seated, he continued. "Your aura is different than any other of your age. You have a lot of pride and so much power not to mention your wisdom is even greater than any I have ever known one to be. Who are you and what is your purpose? Why do you seem so much older than what you actually are? And you do you seem to be weaker than you actually should be?"

"I guess I have no choice in the matter so I might as well tell you. Are there runes set up in here that block out any sound from the outside?" after getting a confirmation from the master, he continued, "Alright, now that that is settled, we can start. The pride you speak of is from him dragon half. Yes, I am part dragon, but also human and demon. Back in my day, my kind was called the Enemies Natural Deathbringer or the END. This meaning that all three races could get eliminated by me if I so desired, but they were wiped out in fear of their powers. Due to who my biological parents were they could not touch me or they would get sentenced to death. I can use many elements but I typically only use the others if I have to. That means if I was ever up against a lightning dragon slayer, I could eat their lightning and get a power-up."

"Next is power. I have more power than any tiny, normal, pesky human and all dragons. I am more powerful than all the demons, only a few can rival me. My power allows me to change into a dragon, but I do not possess any take over magic. I have a unique type of magic that not many are known to have, Dragon Slaying magic. I can also change my age at a whim."

"Your last statement was wisdom. Wisdom can only be obtained by living a long life, and as it seems, I am far many years older than you. I am a little over 1,800 years old, but my aging ability is making me look like I did when I was 13 instead of the 18-year-old body I should have otherwise."

Makarov's eye's popped out of their head at this statement, unable to believe that he was the legendary END or the fact that he was 1,800 years old and able to stay looking like an 18-year-old while being able to change his appearance to any age he so wishes. He just chalked this up to every thousand years you look a year older and his demon blood. After a moment of just sitting there of being jealous and just taking it all in, he let Natsu know he may continue.

"The Dragon Council has sent me here on a mission to watch the neutral part dragon slayers and make sure they are strong enough when the times comes to take them for a war that has been raging before even my time. One of my sky dragon slayer friends is going to be coming soon to help me monitor the slayers in this guild. She tends to be shy around others she just met in order to look like a comfortable person to be around. Once she finally warms up, she tends to loosen up. I am a prince of Alverez so I might disappear at times so I can fulfill my role as Prince or be going on jobs that the Council has assigned me. I have been asleep for 400 years because of a deadly poison that currently still resides in my body and my time is cutting short due to this. Without the help of a poison slayer, I am as good as dead and the world will fall into chaos. Now, any questions?" Natsu finished

"I am at a loss for words your highness. I have heard rumors that the Hybrid Demon Prince has awakened, but I would never have known if it weren't for you saying all those things. I am truly amazed at how well you are at covering up your tracts. I do have a few questions though, is there anything I can do to help you find this poison slayer you speak of and how long will you be here? Why here and not somewhere else?"

"No need to call me that, just call me Natsu. As for the when, I do not know. I will be staying until the council sees that they are ready for the burden they must carry. It could take months or it could take years, you never know. The Council picked this guild because they can tell that Fairy Tail will be something in the future. I am sorry for hiding everything, but it was necessary along with this mask I must keep up"

"I see. Now since I know what you're hiding and everything is sorted out, would you like to go down and get your guild mark?" the master asked.

"Only if it's temporary. Do you swear that you will tell no one of this? If you do then I will have no choice than to make everyone forget" Natsu promised

"Ohh don't worry all that, we are not those kinds of people," Makarov said with a chuckle as he led Natsu out into the still rowdy guild.

'I think I might like it here after all, but I can't help but feel as though something's off' Natsu thought as he looked at the guild.


	4. The truth

_**Hey you guys, sorry for this! I have so much homework, class work, and studying. Iknowvueren said that every author goes at their own pace, but I work a lot fast than I am right now. Sometimes I just really hate being in honors~**_

* * *

Over the time that Natsu has been in the guild, he has made a fool of himself, he has made 'friends', and has kept in contact with the Council secretly. Things have been going well compared to what he thought would happen. A few guild members thought he was acting strangely, but he was able to clear things up. It has been years and Natsu is currently residing in his 18-year-old form. He could look like he was the master's age, but that would be weird, wouldn't it? Natsu has already met Gajeel and ran into Wendy again after having her briefed and up to date. Ever since he joined the guild, Laxus and Gajeel have been suspicious of him and untrustworthy. Due to this, Natsu was ordered to remain offline for 7 months stretching into 8 when they finally said your good to go back online. He has been caught up in major things like Drages (A/N smaller version of dragons) burning cities and such. When these things happened, he had to sneak out of what he was currently doing. It was not always an easy task. Because of these behaviors, Natsu was called the Recluse Salamander by his peers. The name spread and now he is one of the most talked about mages in Fiore. Why you ask? It is because his magic is rare but add in the strength, looks, and mysteriousness that intrigues even his own guild members. Currently, our Salamander is walking back home from dealing with the Drages when he smells something in the distance.

* * *

Natsu POV

'Why is he here?! Surely there can't be something like this right after I get done with my job for him to come all the way over here?! I was really hoping to get some relaxation, but no! He just had to come and show himself after all this time. Better go over there and see what he wants,' I thought as I changed my direction to follow the familiar scent I recognized as someone I haven't seen in years.

'Ahh man, now the guild is going to get suspicious now. I told them that I would be gone for a few days, but I've already gone past that. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent someone after me! However, I don't think that will happen due to the fact that I have Master to back me up... Wait, it's Master I'm talking about' I think as I see a clearing up ahead.

I finally reached the clearing where I smelt the scent of death and destruction. The aura he was giving off did, in fact, feel stronger than usual, but it was definitely him. That I knew!

"Hello old friend, why don't you come out of hiding? I would much rather see your face than hear your old crusty ass voice. Come out and tell me why you are here? Isn't your shit live all about not being by my brother's side protecting him or serving in his military and instead destroy villages?" I taunt knowing full well that the person was going to get angry and come out.

"My, My, you have become quite the expert at taunting me now. And here I thought that I was going to get a little more out of you until you get pissed and start taunting me" he said with a pout.

"If you didn't already notice, I am in a bad mood right now"

"Ohh? Please do indulge me in the details!"

"Let's just say we are 30 Drages down until they recover their sense of what is right and what is wrong and a guild that is already suspicious of me knowing that I should have been back by now. They are just too upbeat and happy and caring for me to handle. No doubt that they would be sending people after me to make sure that nothing happened."

"Ohh? Is my high and mighty prince finally getting pushed around by the beings he hates the most? Humans?" the mysterious person taunted back. 'It's always fun to mess with him'

"Insolent fool! It is nothing like that! How dare you treat me like this! I act differently around them because it is my job to monitor the dragon slayers. I need not the hassle of them knowing that I am monitoring them and that every move they make that I am to witness or hear about is to be reported to the Dragon Council! Now tell me what you are doing here or else!"I rage. I am in no mood to continue this and so I need to wrap this up as quick as I can!

"I would never dream to make you go as far as that. I know your limits and I can see now that you are not in the mood for this. I will tell you my purpose of being here now. I am here to tell you that you will be visited by someone close to you soon. I know not when or where, but I do know that if you are not prepared, your reputation will suffer greatly for it. I'm sure your aware of who it is by now. Be on your guard and be sure to have a story to explain. Ohh, I almost forgot! The dragons will be taking a visit for a little while, too."

"Nice to know. By the way, tell my brother that all is going according to plan and that he shouldn't wor-" I was cut off by the two slayers I did not want to see at the moment.

"What was that you were saying Salamander? Something about a plan, a brother, and him not having to worry? We just walked all the way here to hear you conspiring against us! We heard it all Salamander! YOU BETTER TELL US WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GET THE INFO BY FORCE!" a teen slayer said. He had spiky black hair that reached his waist and had metal piercings all over his face and arms. This man also had a long shirt on that was held together by a brown belt he was wearing. This man was none other than-

"Gajeel! How the hell did you sneak up on me like that? I could have sworn that we were alone!" I scream. 'I will not allow this to happen, I can not! My mission will be foiled if I reveal a single thing else to them. I have to throw them off, I need to make them think otherwise'.

"How you ask? Let me tell ya, it was not easy. We knew that something was off so we came after you. When you changed course, we changed course too. What we found was unforgivable. How could you?!"

"Heh, your right- there is something off" I paused cause I caught a look my partner in crime was giving me was saying that I should, I smile and continue," The fact that you follow me here is off, or is it the fact that you were told not to question me and leave me be by our Master? Go on, tell me"

"Natsu, don't turn his words against us. If anything, could we get an explanation?" the blonde asked. He had a scar over his right eye along with a tribal tattoo that was being covered by a purple shirt and a coat that he puts over his shoulders. He also wears black pants.

"Not right now Laxus, but in time, yes. I'm surprised you haven't asked more questions by now" I retort.

"If you say so, MY LORD. Why is it that you were called a prince? Why is it that you hate human if you are one, or are you not? Why are you monitoring us? Since when did you have a brother? Why does your friend here say that he is going to visit? Why does he say that our dragons are coming back? Why did you do this? Why d-"

"ENOUGH! I'M ALREADY SICK OF YOUR BLABBERING! SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I MAKE YOU!" 'I'm done I am tired of this. I do not care anymore if my 'friends' know who I am or that it has all been a ruse. I shall not reveal anything that doesn't need to be.'

"Ahh, so now your true colors show my prince? In front of your 'friends' nonetheless! Ahhhahah their faces are priceless! Can I eat them, my lord? Can I eat their beautiful souls and forever savor their chaos?!" my friend suddenly speaks up.

"No, you can not Ac. If you eat their chaos now, what will happen to the plan? Do you want me to reveal it to them so they know? So they understand and get me in trouble with the council?" I ask coldly.

'Ac? Why does it sound familiar? Chaos, huh?' Laxus and Gajeel think simultaneously.

"I don't think it matters whether you tell them or not, it will all be explained when the time comes. Plus, I also came here to tell you that time is running out and that the Dragon Council cannot wait any longer. They sent me to tell you all these things, hence the reason why the dragons are coming back. I think this is a perfect way to tell them, wouldn't you agree?" Ac asks.

"Tch, whatever. If you were going to tell me that, then why didn't you in the first place?" all of a sudden he bursts out laughing. 'All I get is a laugh, uh? Better explain now cause Laxus and Gajeel are getting pissed'." Since you won't tell me why, I'll just assume you were pulling my leg."

"Listen up slayers, it is true that I am not human, or in this case, fully human. I am a human, demon, dragon hybrid that has walked this earth for over 1,800 years and I have seen how vile humans are. My brother is powerful and leads a empire he calls Alvarez. He is known as Emperor Spiggan. I am monitoring you slayers to make sure you get strong enough to fight a war that has been going on for a very long time. When I finish this task, which I have, the dragon that have taught you are going to come and pick you up then drop you off at the palace. I did this to stop a war, do you understand?" I answer all the questions that Laxus threw at me.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? So all this time you have been trying to stop a war that has been raging for centuries?" "I don't believe it, you're a prince?!" "Your brother is Emperor Spriggan?!" "Your part of the Dragon Council!?" "You're not human?!" "I AM SO CONFUSED!" they go back and forth between the clarifications and each time I nod.

"Yes, now why don't we get back? This has been quite bothersome and I'm tired" I complain

"But you are always full of energy! Wait... That was a ruse too?!" Laxus pointed out

"Hah, you have much to learn my friend, way too much for my liking." I laugh as we head home to Fairy Tail. 'I wonder what will happen when the dragons come. Well, whatever happens, it will be fun!'

* * *

 ** _Hello everyone, thank you for taking your time to read this. I know that I haven't been really nice in updating, but I have been really busy over these last few months and I will be even busier until school lets out. I would have updated sooner, but due to the fact that I have been away for three days, had my friend over to chill after a long car ride, and watching TV( shoot me, I deserve it), I could not. Tell me what you think in the comments. Make sure you keep yourself updated until I post the next chapter. Don't worry, I will put a little bit of Natsu x Erza like I have been planning on doing since the start in the next chapter. Till then!_**

 ** _じゃね_** ** _!_**


	5. Important message

Hey you guys, I'm so sorry for this! I started this story with a goal in mind but it wasn't going well and it was too difficult for me to put my ideas into words. I'm a very awkward and shy person so when one of my friends told me I should go out there to make a story and publish it, I was scared. I saw how people looked at my story, and those who read it and I was discouraged. That number wasn't very high. I tried to continue past chapter 5 but my ideas don't have any real foothold when you only think of bits and pieces and are unable to piece them together to create a story without it being incredibly awkward and jumbled. I tried to go back too but then I really got discouraged cause I saw how awful I am in doing this. I was so happy when people started following my story, but I'm not doing it anymore. I regret dropping this on you now, but I just can't do it. I will put this story up for adoption, just contact me and I'll tell you what I had planned out and why I named it "Only If". I am open to anyone taking it, but they have to contact me first. After we have settled everything, I will put your name on my next and final A/N so others can go and read your story. Again, I'm deeply sorry for just ending it after 5 chapters, but I do have a lot of work to do. I haven't had the time even if I was able to put my thoughts into a story. Well, goodbye and I hope you all a very Merry Christmas or any other holiday you celebrate! Ja Ne!

 _ **Hey, this is an update for Y'all. I've decided to tweak the story to fit in a few ideas that I left out, it will be a long and slow process and I hope you understand. My friend, KiyoshiWakeshima, might be helping me out with everything and adding new chapters at her own leisure. I already updated the first chapter a while ago, but I see some tweaking that needs to be done near the end and I will get to that. I just finished updating the second chapter and I'll have to write in** **the trip to the meeting in chap 3 along with adding in Zeref** **and taking out his cluelessness at this situation. I'm very sorry that this is happening but I can't really help how unorganized I am but I'll try to fix it. Thank you** **everyone who has stayed with me and I'll be revoking the status of this being discontinued. Have a wonderful day everyone and I hope everyone had happy holidays!**_

 _ **I've combined two AN's so I don't piss you guys off even more than I already am**_

Again, my computer was taken away because it was not mine but the schools. im happy to say that KiyoshiWakeshima is doing a collab with me! Ja ne!


	6. Confrontation of a sickness

**Hey you guys! I'm not dead! I finally finished this amazing collab with KiyoshiWakeshima and I couldn't be more proud or thankful for her help. Enjoy! By the way, I do not own fairy tail, only the ideas**

* * *

 ** _No one POV_**

The silence on the way to the train station was heavy, so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Natsu has just finished explaining everything to them and the slayers did not take it well.

They were in disbelief over what they were told, but after a small demonstration of his power, they had no choice but to believe.

Having enough of their silence, Natsu spoke. "You can either hate me fear me or both, I do not care. What I've told you is true as you now know so put that information to good use and start training for the coming clash. Tensions are high and are only getting worse, soon the world will be no more if you do not prepare for this. For the time being though, let us hurry to the guild so my suspicion does not rise".

The two boys nodded, still wrapping their heads around everything that has happened, and started to follow their prince if everything he said was true.

Finally reaching the station that will take them to Magnolia, they boarded. Seating themselves in a secluded booth, Natsu immediately gets up to get some water, no traces of motion sickness coming from him at all, much to the confusion of his two companions.

While the pink haired man was gone, the two started talking. "So the Recluse Salamander isn't motion sick, huh? Makes me wonder what all he was hiding from us," Gajeel mused with slight anger.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Do you think master knows the whole story or just the basics?" Laxus asked wondering why they were sent to get him if he knew what was going on, mostly at least.

"If I had to guess anything, I would say he only knows the basic information," the iron dragon slayer supplied.

"You would be correct in that assumption. I could not tell the master everything, I could only supply who I am and the basic purpose for me being here." a sudden voice said from beside them, making them wonder when he got there. The two boys turned to look at their prince only to see a strange sight.

"What are you putting in your water you Recluse?" The blacked haired teen asked referring to the potion he was putting into his water glass that he was about to drink from.

"Just something Porlyusica gave me for my throat." He replied, but that wasn't enough for the boy so he pressed on before he could take a sip. "For what? What's wrong with your throat Salamander? You sick or something?"

"... you can say that. A sickness only one person can heal, something that means cert-" Natsu stopped suddenly and started to hold his hands over his mouth and throat. His face turned pale and he started shaking with inaudible coughs. When the boys thought he was done, a haggard, loud cough erupted from his throat, spewing red and purple liquid through his fingers and sides of his mouth. One cough then another then another till his face started turning blue from the lack of oxygen he was getting and his fingers slick and dripping with the strange liquid.

The two dragon slayers snapped out of their horror induced daze and sprang into action. "Gajeel! Restrain him and remove his hand from his mouth and throat so I can give him the potion! I hate to say it but you're physically stronger than me," Laxus barked. "On it!" Gajeel replied, not making a snarky comment about the stronger statement. He turned his arms into metal so he had a better strength advantage in restraining him. As soon as he touched Natsu's arms, the purple liquid trailing down them changed direction and headed straight for him. Acting quickly, he wrenched his princes hands away from himself and told Laxus to hurry as he couldn't hold him much longer.

Laxus took the glass with the elixir in it and poured it down the mans gasping, purple and red filled throat. For a few tense seconds it seemed as if the drink didn't work, but soon enough his gasping, haggard cough turned into pained wheezing. As soon as Laxus poured the mix, Gajeel let go of the man and the purple liquid trailing up his arms suddenly turned stopped, turned black and fell to the floor, evaporating as soon as it hit.

"Wha-what was that? What the hell was that you damned Recluse?! Care to explain what the hell just happened?!" Laxus screamed out of character. He was shaken up over what just happened, reasonably so, and he wanted answers. Gajeel just sat back panting, trying to get his breathing back to normal. "Da-damn, he's really st-strong, I'll give him that" he managed to rasp out.

The pinkette in the other hand was in unimaginable agony from his coughing fit, knowing that his life just shortened even more and he only had ten years left to live, not that it mattered because he's just going to cough again and shorten it even more. "Th-thanks f-for that y-you *cough* guys. I-if y-you hadn't I wou-would be d-dying a lot s-sooner th-than planned," he managed to get out before he collapsed back in a heap, unconsciousness taking over him.

"Oi! Natsu you alright? What do you mean sooner than planned? Hey?! He's not getting up Laxus. What do you think is going on?" The brunet addressed Natsu before switching over to Laxus with fear in his eyes.

"I don't know, but for now let him sleep. He looks likes he needs it more than us right now." He pauses to look at Natsus still, pale figure. He has dark circles around his eyes with purple veins coming from the sides of them with purple and red liquid covering the bottom half of his face and splattered everywhere. He continued, "I'm a little concerned for what he was coughing up though. I know that the red stuff is blood, probably from his lungs, but the purple stuff... It was alive and going towards your mouth. Is it some kind of poison? He said that only one person can heal him but never got to finish what he was saying. Any ideas on who that could be?" Laxus said, ranting his jumbled thoughts out trying to make heads and tails of the situation but the purple liquid was at the forefront of his mind. Gajeel didn't say anything, lost in his own thoughts as well. In the end, they decided to keep this incident amongst themselves and get him to Porlyusica as soon as possible.

* * *

It was only hours later that the train stopped and the two dragon slayers pulled their now clean, unconscious prince off. It wasn't an unusual thing to see for the locals so they didn't ask questions so they got away without suspicion.

The two boys came along a large tree in the middle of the woods. The tree was so big that a tiny house was carved in the inside of it.

Laxus, being the older out of the two conscious slayers goes to the front door to knock, but before his fist even hit the door, it opened to show a very annoyed old lady.

"What do you brats want this time? Ointment for your wounds? Go heal them yourselves!" She rudely yelled, not seeing the barely breathing Natsu on Gajeels back before slamming the door shut in his face.

"Oi you old hag! Open this door! This ain't none of that! It's Salamander and he's-" the door opens before he can finish and she ushers them inside.

"Set him down on the bed over there. Good. How did he collapse this time? Didn't he drink the medicine I gave him? Stupid brat, he knows not drinking that will kill him... What?! You're still here? Get out now you stupid ningens! I have no place for you here!" Porlyusica wonders out loud before she realizes the two other boys are still in the room. She starts shooing them out with her broom trying to act intimidating but on the inside she is in turmoil.

'You better not die on us my prince. The fate of the world rests too heavily on your shoulders'

* * *

On the outside of the tree house rests the guilds famous lightning and iron dragon slayers. Both of them were talking in angry whispers to each other so the old lady couldn't hear.

"I'm so pissed off right now laxus! I don't know what to say or what to think! That other guy said something about someone important visiting and something about a brother but who the hell could that be?! That goddamned Recluse has a lot of fucking explaining to do. If he doesn't, I'm going to smash his brains in, prince or not!" The black haired male quietly continued to rant to his equally pissed off friend. Both unable to wrap their minds around everything. Natsu wasn't healthy? Porlyusica didn't hate everyone? Who was that mysterious person. Argh!

"Gajeel calm down, ranting about it isn't going to do anything! I want to know too and I would also beat it out of him, but that is useless when he is in there unresponsive." Laxus, too, was ranting but not out loud. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions bouncing around from to another, unable to hold an idea for more than five seconds.

"Argh! I know that laxus but that doesn't give me the answers we deserve. For some reason, when he was explaining things to us, he wasn't telling us the whole truth! What about that, huh?! Are we just going to take his shit and be fine with it?! I'm done being a pawn in his little game! I want-!" Gajeel was seeing red, so blinded with hatred and betrayal that he didn't notice his voice getting louder and louder till all he was doing was shouting. Before he could finish his rant, a flower pot hit him in his unsuspecting head.

"Is for you to shut the hell up! You ningens are too loud and you're giving him an even bigger headache than he already has! Now go on back to your guild!" Porlyusica yelled at them, flailing her arms in the air clearly upset over their behavior and how it's affecting Natsu.

Moments before back in the tree, Natsu was starting to stir from his dreamless sleep. "Ugh, what hit me?" He mumbled under his breath. His head pounded like there was no tomorrow and his throat burned like lava was being poured down it.

"Another coughing fit you lord. Didn't you drink the medicine I gave you, Baka?" A voice from beside him said annoyed but respectful. He turned his head weakly to see Porlyusica sitting on a stool by his bedside checking his irregular pulse.

"As soon as we got on the train back, I left t-to get some water to mix it with the potion. However the t-two others kept on interrupting me before I even had the chance to drink it. I was on my l-last leg and I already felt weak. I-I'm sorry Porly, I didn't mean to scare you." He said softly, thinking back on the events that recently occurred, trying to forget the pain in his throat.

"Young lord, your life has shortened to five short years. Your time on Tenrou wasn't nearly enough for us to find someone else to do the job. Cobra is your only hope but with what he said, I'm afraid that'll never happen. You do remember what he said, right?"

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

"Hey you! I need your help!" A younger looking Natsu yelled out the the dark haired red headed boy.

The boy in question just looked at him uncaringly and annoyed. Why would his enemy ask him for help? "What do you want you twerp?" And why did it feel so wrong to address him like that? He just shook it off.

"You're a poison dragon slayer, yeah? Well I need you to eat some poison for me. The poison in his system is from hundreds of years ago and the antidote long lost and unable to be remade. Please, the fate of the world rests in his hands and his life in yours." The young Natsu at this point was bowing down on his hands and knees. Throat burning, but using willpower to push it away, he looks up to see Cobra's answer.

"The fate of the world huh? What has the world ever done for me? I'd say no just to let him die. If he's so important then find someone else who can do it" which that he walked away, leaving Natsu alone in despair, never hearing the small, "But there is no body else".

'What am I going to do now?'

* * *

I remember clearly, Porly, no need t-to remind me of my failure." Natsu said dejectedly and looked down.

"Cheer up my prince, he has been captured and I'm sure that with enough persuasion we will be able to get him to eat your poison" she said optimistically. Unlike what everyone else thinks, she does care for her patients. She pulls out a vial with green liquid in it and continues talking. "Now back to the topic at hand. This vial will slow down the poison in you by another year, meaning another fit you have. It has taken me years to make this, but no matter what I try, I can't get rid of the side effects it has."

"S-side effects? What are th-they? Natsu asks, his head spinning with pain. The noises outside didn't help either.

"The side effects young lord is a mock coughing fit in which you will cough up blood and pass out. It's going to burn away a years worth of poison from your lungs slowly and painfully, thus the coughing. Don't worry, I said mock because it won't sap your life away, quite the opposite actually. I do suggest you hurry up with any business you have at the guild quickly. No matter what you do, you'll pass out and I don't think you'll want to in the middle of the guild." Porlyusica warns, emphasizing the last part. Everything seems to be falling apart so fast.

Natsu looks down at the sheets and thinks through his clouded brain the possibilities of things going wrong if he passes out in front of the guild. "Ok Porly, do it. They will find out eventually anyways, so what if they find out sooner? It's not going to hurt too bad." He looks up with conviction and nods for her to proceed.

The old lady gets a needle and fills it with the liquid front the vile then moves over to help take off her princes shirt when the angry voices outside turned to screaming. She looked over to see her beloved prince holding his head in pain and gets a tick mark. She marches outside almond he way grabbing a flower pot and chucks it at the offending head. She head the last bit of their conversation before she cuts him off and continues, "Is for you to shut the hell up! You ningens are too loud and you're giving him an even bigger headache than he already has! Now go on back to your guild!" She was flailing her arms at this point mad beyond belief. How dare they hurt her prince.

The boys just look at her with angry expressions and stood their ground. "So he's awake now? Better hurry up, he has some explaining to do and we ain't leaving here without him," Gajeel said with conviction. He wasn't going to leave without his answers and if he has to stay the night than so be it.

Porlyusica just looked at them annoyed before waving them off and goes back inside. She sees that Natsu was watching the whole conversation with a small frown. She sighs and helps Natsu take off his shirt so she can clean the area she was going to inject the liquid in.

"Are you ready young lord? This will hurt." She asks him only to receive a small nod in return. She takes a deep breath and plunges the syringe into his heart, holding it there for a few seconds before taking it out. She then bandages the area up so that nothing leaks out.

Natsu feels the sharp pain in his chest and something flowing into him slowly. He just brushes the pain off best be can and lets her help him put his shirt back on. He stands up and turns to her and says, "Thank you Porly, this means a lot to me. Now at least if they do find out, they can help me gain an audience with Cobra. Till next time." He waves and walks out.

The two other boys attention immediately snap to him and starts asking questions but he brushes them off. " I'll talk at the guild with Master present. You will have to wait until then," and walks away.

* * *

At the same time this is going on, our favorite clumsy bluenette is coming back from a mission with her two other teammates and two exceeds.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere chaos in his human form appears and says, "Little slayers, we have much to talk about," and proceeds to take her away.

Her teammates immediately try to find her thinking she was kidnapped, but are unable to. "Wendy! Where are you?! Wendy?!" A blonde haired brown eyed woman shouts desperately. Her name is Lucy Heartfilia, holder of the celestial gage keys.

"Come on out you little shrimp! Wendy?!" A black haired shirtless male yells out, frost and icy wind forming around him as he prepares to freeze everything in front of him. This stripper is named Gray Fullbuster.

"Wendy-Chan! Where are you?! Natsu's gonna go and turn into a big fiery demon looking for you!" A small blue feline yells out comically flying in the sky to get a better view only to be hit in he back if his head by a white haired equally flying cat. "Shut up Happy! This is serious! Wendy darling, were are you?! Wendy?!" The white haired cat called out desperately from above. Their names are Happy and Carla.

One the other side of the forest is the missing girl in question and her perpetrator. "Ac-San! What's going on? Did something happen?" She asks, hands clutched close to her chest in worry.

"Look chibi, we don't have much time, your friends are getting closer as we speak. Listen and listen well. The two other slayers found out about our young lord and his sickness. Regretfully, the last part was because I held him too long. Lord Zeref asked me to reveal the information for his as our prince is a bit stubborn and refuses asking anyone not involved for help," Ac says quietly so it doesn't echo.

"So they know? No! That doesn't matter right now. Is the young lord ok?"The petite girl starts off handedly before getting back on tract a bit fearful.

"I don't know little one, I only know he had an attack on the train back to Magnolia and is currently heading for the old hag. I would guess that by the time you are back, he will be at the guild. I have to go now. Remember and keep in mind that they're coming. Bye chibi!" The eccentric man said before disappearing into the woods.

The frantic but relieved shouting of her friends filling the clearing and the remarks of, "Are you ok?!" and "Where is that bastard?!" finally brought her out of her worry filled thoughts.

"You guys I'm fine! That was just an old friend of mine that I made back at the Cait Shelter guild. Come on, we should hurry back!" after that the grouped calmed down and quickly followed the running girl back to the guild. This action was worrying her friends. What could that man have said to her to make her so frantic?

* * *

 _ **Natsu POV**_

I could hardly blame them for being curious. I truly shouldn't. They had every right to be confused and to want some answers and-

"Would you just shut up?" I bit out when Gajeel opened his mouth to ask another question. Hadn't I already told them enough? I watched from the corner of my eye as Gajeel's mouth snapped shut before opening again but no sound left them. Great, his brain is fried. I shook my head in exasperation.

Laxus looked better, though. Or maybe it hasn't really sunk in yet for him. How does one make peace with knowledge the guild's clown is actually one of the most deadly and most respected individuals among three different races, no matter how old the information is.

"So Natsu..." Laxus began, breaking the silence once again and I couldn't quite stop myself from rolling my eyes. My head hurt and I was tired. Days of fighting with barely any time to rest would tire anyone out. My lungs ached with the need to cough and I grimaced, knowing just how unpleasant the next few hours will be. "...You're 1800 years old, huh?"

"I was under the impression I already said that. Around 1000, one stops counting after a few centuries", I responded tersely. Laxus pursed his lips, squinting down his nose at the seemingly younger man. "You don't look like you're 1800 years old"

I blinked at him, stopping my treck and turning to fully face him. ''How exactly should I look?'', when my companion shrugged I pinched the bridge of my nose. Idiots.

* * *

 _ **Makarov's POV**_

I knew something happened when he saw the three slayers enter the guild without so much as a shout. The lack of Natsu's 'I'M HOME' shout put me off quite a bit.  
Something was up.

The rest of the guild didn't comment, if they even noticed something was amiss – I wouldn't put it past them that they stayed oblivious. Laxus and Gajeel kept their distance from Natsu, both keeping a close eye on the hybrid who did not have that foolish grin on his face... He's actually a bit pale now that I think about it

"Gramps", Laxus greeted him first and his stormy eyes seemed... accusing. Now, why would...? one glance at Natsu and I knew.

Well.. Shit.

* * *

 _ **Natsu POV**_

"You knew he was watching us and you didn't say a thing?!" Gajeel looked decidedly furious. And ridiculous. His hair looked like a porcupine. I suppressed a smirk that threatened to pull my lips up. Now was not the time. My throat and my lungs still ached and I could not stop a cough that bent me over and stopped the conversation. Three pairs of eyes looked at me where I stood at the edge of the room. I gave them a weak smile when the coughing stopped, waving my hand dismissively. "Don't worry about lil' ol' me, continue, it was very entertaining"

A vein popped on Laxus' forehead and lightning cracked in his palms. "You find this funny? Y-you spied on us for years!"

"I had to" I responded easily.

Are you alright?'' Makarov sounded worried which made me pause. Just how bad did I look? ''You look rather pale'', he supplied helpfully and I smirked slightly. ''There is nothing wrong with me, just tired''

Makarov narrowed his eyes and I could almost hear him saying 'I don't like being lied to'. Tough luck, old man. I don't plan on telling this. It's not like you could help, anyway.

'Could we get back to the important matter?'' Gajeel raged. ''You knew he spied on us and you didn't tell us'', an accusing finger was pointed at Makarov's nose and the old master only gave the younger man a glare. ''There was nothing for me to tell, it was not my place and from what I gathered you know now why Natsu didn't tell you! He had to see how good you are and it could be jeopardized by your knowledge. If you knew he watched you it would take a lot more time to get you to train with him –''

'Train with him?'' Laxus sounded confused.

'You think I always dragged you two on a mission when I got the chance because we were best buddies?'', I couldn't help but ask. ''Listen, Laxus, Gajeel, whatever you thought you knew about me was wrong. I am not an empty-headed fool with endless energy and oblivious to the world. Your refusal to understand what I and Makarov are trying to tell you is drawing my patience thin and we are already short on time'', I paused, remembering a rather important detail of my trip. ''I won't be here much longer, Makarov'', I informed the master who turned to me with a blink of shock. '

"No?"

"The council will be sending my brother and the dragons soon and I'm afraid that means I'll be leaving. I'll most likely will be bringing the others with me''

Makarov wet his lips, a long look sent my way as the old master thought over my words. ''Is there no way for me to make you guys stay? Fairy Tail quite enjoyed your company''

I gave a warm smile to the old man – not that I really had any right to call him old – and spoke softly. ''They enjoyed the company of Natsu Dragneel, a stupid, happy-go-lucky, empty-headed dragon slayer who thought the guild hall was large when he first set foot into it. I am quite sure they would not be particularly thrilled to see Natsu Dragneel, the brother of Emperor Spriggan, ambassador and member of dragon council and 1800 hybrid as a member''

Laxus eyes widened, he did not know that. ''You are one giant, obnoxious douchebag, you know that, right?''

'You should mind your manners, Laxus, I am one giant, obnoxious douchebag of a prince that could kill you before you find the time to blink'''

'This is going nowhere'', Makarov muttered and I couldn't help but agree.

''I am not fighting in a war that doesn't interest me'', Gajeel sneered. ''Why would someone who can't even be honest with me? What will you lie about next, Natsu? Will you send us into a fight as cannon fodder so you and your little friends could win one battle faster?''

The two dragon slayers had to understand just how dire the situation was. There was no nice way to say this and any plans I so carefully crafted to slowly explain them were thrown out of the window thanks to Ac's untimely arrival.

'We are in a war'', I started darkly. ''There is no nice way to say it and it would be insulting to hundreds of different beings that died in it for me to even try sugar-coating this. The war needs dragon slayer. The last 400 hundred years were spent in a constant battle. The worlds burned and disappeared. It was no natural disasters that destroyed the towns and cities but the war on four fronts that hasn't stopped since I fell into coma. Don't you dare tell me this war doesn't interest you. And do you honestly think I would spend years coaxing you into becoming better fighter only to use you as a cannon fodder? You are important in this war because slayers are getting increasingly smaller in number. This war has to be stopped and without slayers we have no hope of winning''

You are saying this like we are your last hope'' Laxus muttered and I gave him a bitter smile, no mirth present as my eyes burned coldly into him. ''That's because you are. No pressure, right?''

Gajeel swallowed uneasily, eyes moving from me to the floor and the small office fell into silence. ''Tell me this...''

I looked at the dragon slayer expectedly, ''What?''

'Were you serious when you said you didn't consider any of us your friends and what do you mean coma?''

I blinked, that was not exactly what I expected. ''No, I don't. You have to understand, child, just how old I am. You are... acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less. For me to make friends with someone who will die long before I even look adult would be foolish. I have done it before and I would rather avoid the experience again. As for the other question, war does not come without casualties''

Laxus eyed me suspiciously and I for some unexplainable reason started feeling nervous. ''Even Erza?''

I gritted my teeth. No, she was... something more than a... mere acquaintance. But it was not possible, it could never be. ''Even her'', I instead said.

* * *

Erza's eyes stayed fixed on the doors of master's office, her graceful fingers slowly rubbing the now cold cup of what once was hot chocolate. They were inside for a long time. She glared at the door, like that would make them see-through or open. Something was wrong and it most definitely had to do with Natsu. He acted weird when he entered the guild. He seemed... different. Distant. Older?

''I'm not completely sure what the doors did to you but trying to set them on fire with your glare isn't going to make it all better'', Mira spoke beside her, her voice breaking the silence so suddenly and sharply Erza couldn't help but jump. The white-haired beauty raised one delicate eyebrow in her direction. ''Somone got lost in their thoughts'', she noted.

Erza shrugged after a moment of silence. ''I just have a lot on my mind. Natsu's been acting weird'', she nodded her head towards the doors where the slayers disappeared. Mira seemed to consider this. ''Well, now that you mentioned this... he did seem rather.. quiet''

The two turned back to staring at the door, trying to unravel the secrets hidden behind. How bad could it be? No one looked hurt when they entered. Just serious. And maybe angry. Erza frowned, now that she thought about it Gajeel and Laxus really did seem quite pissed off.

''And I didn't think Natsu had facial muscles to look annoyed'', Mira added after a moment and only then did Erza realize she was talking out loud. She couldn't help but chuckle at Mira's remark. ''Apparently, he does''

''You think they would let us in if we knocked?''

''I seriously doubt that''

''Me too. Just thought it was worth a shot'', Mira replied with a smirk. ''It's not like they can do more than tell us to go away''

Erza smiled back, a small sense of triumph raising at the bottom of her stomach as she rose from her chair. She didn't get far, Wendy appearing beside her out of nowhere and already talking, asking actually, something so quickly Erza had trouble wrapping her head around it. ''Could you repeat that?''

Wendy took a deep breath, panting slightly after obviously running here. ''Yes. Right.. Umm.. Ha- Have you seen Natsu?''

Erza pointed towards Makarov's office. ''He's in there with Gajeel and Laxus''

Wendy – sweet, kind, always-nice – Wendy cursed under her breath and rushed towards the office, leaving Erza and Mira gaping after her. Carla and Happy came next, wings out and almost colliding with Erza as they came to a stop, small heads looking frantically around before spotting Wendy and flying after her.

Happy released a small squeak when he was yanked out of the air by his tail, Erza's armored fist tightly holding him in place. ''What's going on?'', she demanded, glaring hard at the exceed who blinked his big eyes at her, completely lost for a moment before he once again spread his wings and started prying his abused tail out of Erza's too tight hold.

''I don't know'' Happy explained still trying to pry his tail out, almost falling when Erza finally let go. ''We were just coming back from a mission when some guy stopped us and pulled Wendy aside. She told us to wait and they didn't say more than a few words before she was running towards the guild like possessed''

Erza, unsatisfied with the answer, turned towards Makarov's doors once more and marched there, not even bothering to knock as she threw the door open and entered the small office that was steadily becoming cramped by the number of people trying to squeeze inside. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the scene that greeted her, though.

* * *

 _ **Natsu POV**_

I was really getting tired of all the questions. It was even more annoying that neither of the two dragon slayers really waited for answers, firing question after question so fast and sounding so angry it was making my already foggy mind feel heavy and the longer I stood there the more vertigo from the potion in the syringe made itself known. I took a deep breath, regretting it as my throat screamed with a desire to cough and my lungs burned. I pushed it down, knowing once I start coughing after something like this there was no stopping me and I had no wish to explain myself to the two thickheads still oblivious to the fact I almost passed out right there and then... again. Dear lord, they weren't ready for this.

Makarov's eyes were on him constantly. It was starting to unnerve him.

''You just used us, you selfish, self-absorbed –''

Gajeel was on a roll.

He wasn't the only one angry. ''Would you shut up for once in your life?'' I growled through clenched teeth and in response Gajeel's fist turned silver. ''Come at me and see where that gets you'', the iron slayer responded and I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes to concentrate. With how I felt at the moment it would probably get me six feet underground.

The tense silence was broken by the sound of the door opening, so suddenly and strongly it was a wonder they didn't fell off their hinges. Wendy stepped in, bless her good timing, looking like she ran a marathon and then some. ''Natsu!'' she said quickly when she spotted me and I was sure she would order me to sit down. I had no doubt I looked just as bad as I felt. ''He told me Gajeel and Laxus found out''

Laxus' felt his jaw open. ''You knew as well? What the hell? Were we the only ones who didn't know?!''

''No, no. Only Wendy and Makarov knew,'' I assured them. Or tried to. It came more like a rasp and now every eye in the room was on me. Dear lord.

''You alright, you Recluse?'', Gajeel asked tentatively after a moment thinking back to what happened on the train and I snorted. ''Just a minute ago you had a lot more colorful nickname,'' I reminded him and the iron dragon slayer huffed, crossing his hands over his chest. ''You're still a bastard,'' he reminded me like it was a fact. To them, it probably seemed as much. Idiots.

''You should probably sit down,'' Wendy tugged my sleeve softly and I shook my head. ''No, I'm telling you I'm fine. We have to get this over with and I have to get these two thickheads to understand –''

The doors opened once again and my breath caught in my throat at the site of scarlet hair and wide brown eyes. I choked and knew there was no stopping my lungs from trying to turn my insides out.

I coughed, sound leaving my body painfully and I put a hand over my mouth, twisting my shirt in my fist as I clasped it over my chest and doubled over, coughing and hacking so hard my whole body shook. Blood, wet, warm and sticky splashed against my hand, running down my chin and palm as bile rose in the back of my throat, burning it and making me feel like I was coughing out acid. Great, the potion kicked in at the worst possible time.

I wasn't sure when I fell down to my knees nor when my vision turned black and the hands on my back telling me to breath disappeared in the darkness.

* * *

The world was burning and the air twisted and howled with ash and cinder. A roar of a dying beast echoed around him in a twisted symphony of death that marched the plains, claiming the lives of fallen warriors.

This was not supposed to end like this. It should have been an easy win. Not a trap. Not an ambush that killed everyone but me.

Help won't reach me in time. I am on my own.

Another dragon landed near me and I squared my shoulders, forcing back a wince as the pain of my broken body screamed to Stop! Stop! Stop!

"How man more of you I have to kill until you stop? Aren't you tired of this massacre?!"

The dragon regarded me with a look of disdain, spitting on the ground in front of me and foul stench filled the air and my lungs burned burned burned.

I jumped back, away from the rising cloud of poison that filled the air and blended with the filth. "You will die here, Natsu Dragneel. There is no one left to save you"

I growled at the poison dragon, black eyes staring up at the tall beast, and I bared my sharp teeth, an ugly impression of a smile stretching my lips. "There is no one left to save you either"

The dragon roared in fury, its neck coiling back and striking down faster than a snake, but his teeth bit only the ash and rock of the ground as I jumped to the side, rolling over the ash-covered ground before jumping to my feet, spitting the foul dust before wrapping my hands in fire, deflecting a glancing hit from its tail and burning away a layer of scales as my fist connected with the thick neck.

The battle raged, the two spitting and turning and burning and biting.

And why is it so hard to breathe?

The time seemed to slow to a crawl. Everything seemed to stop as the inevitable started happening. And the dragon opened his mouth - poison, thick and disgusting and black, bubbling in the back of the dragon's throat like a deadly volcano ready to erupt. And I fell down, body lit with orange flames as the dragon's mouth closed around me.

Can't breathe Can't breathe Can't breathe

Wake up.

But I'm awake. I'm dying. Dying, drenched in poison.

Natsu!

I jumped in the unfamiliar bed, cold sweat soaking the back of my shirt and sticking to my skin. My lungs contracted painfully as I tried - and failed - to suck some, any, air into them.

"Calm down, Natsu," Wendy said, her voice sounded deceptively far. "Try to breathe, slowly"

It would be far easier if I didn't have to cough. I practically stuffed my hand in my mouth, trying to stop at least the blood from escaping my mouth as painful coughs wracked my body. Was this supposed to happen? A scuffle of feet brought the presence of other people in the room to my attention.

A shuddering breath entered my lungs and I looked up, knowing I must look horrible if the looks the other sported were any identification.

Makarov stood at the foot of the bed, looking as awkward as I felt but his forehead was marred by deep lines of worry. Laxus and Gajeel sat on the bed to my right, trying to look uncaring and nonchalant as possible though failing horrifically. After all, i already went through this once today. It only made them wonder how often these attacks happen. The exceeds were huddled together on one chair beside Makarov and to my left stood Wendy, pale and worried. As that wasn't enough behind Makarov stood Lucy, Gray and her.

I swallowed suddenly, my stomach churning uncomfortably at what this all could mean. Feeling incredibly vulnerable while lying on my back I pulled my self up into sitting position, pulling my feet in front of my self and resting my arms in my lap, trying to get a sense of dignity back.

Why are they all here? It was only supposed to burn away at the poison in my lungs... Did it burn away my lungs too or is it my lungs were so used to the poison?

Everyone stayed silent, holding their breath before, finally, Makarov broke the incredibly awkward silence. "Are you sick?"

It seemed like an incredibly stupid question considering the current situation. He must have realized that because he quickly continued. "I mean, what is wrong with you?... That didn't come out quite right.. Damn it, you know what I mean Natsu!"

I rewarded him with a weak chuckle. "Sick would not be the correct term..."

Wendy chewed her lower lip, glancing up at me through her bangs with big eyes before looking at Makarov and the rest. "Poisoned would be more accurate"

"What?!" Erza all but screamed at Wendy and the poor girl shrunk in herself. "What do you mean poisoned?!"

"Did you get the antidote?"

"We should call Porlyusica!"

"When did you get poisoned?!"

My head hurt enough without their questions and while their concern was.. appreciated it was unnecessary. Unneeded.

"Could you-" I tried.

"What will happen to you?"

"If you would just-"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Shut. Up. Would you?"

I sighed as every eye turned on me unblinkingly.

"Thank you! Now, if you would all listen for a second I would tell you," he regarded them all with a critical eye before sighing.

* * *

 **7,173 words**


	7. You're a what!

**Hey! Not dead yet! New chapter but I recently did some major editing and I'm happy with the results so to make things less confusing, look back into chapter one. I think chapter five is the same as it was before, idk...**

* * *

"Good, now that you're quiet I can explain," Natsu said satisfied by the silence that ensured. He adjusted again so now his legs are folded under him. One of his arms lay on his lap while the other supported his head. The others in the room could feel the seriousness rolling off him even though he looked relaxed.

"It was a little over 400 years ago that I was sent to neutralize an enemy dragon gathering and return home. Like every good plan, there were also... complications." The pink haired prince trailed off, remembering the dying screams of his comrades.

"What were the complications, Salamander? Don't tell me you went berserk and destroyed everything! Haha I wouldn't be sur- ACK!" Gray said with a laugh that was quickly silenced by a small foot kicking his crotch.

"You will speak when spoken to peasant! You dare insult him for something false, the Natsu you knew was never there! It is insulting that you compare the two. My lord, forgive me for his rudeness." Wendy said, bowing down.

"W-Wendy? What are you saying?! You're in on this too? How dare you keep these things from me, I thought we were friends!" Erza angrily exclaimed.

Erza has felt much pain in her life but Natsu... he was special. Whenever she's with him she feels all of her worries and sadness just melt away. He always had this unique charisma that no one else had, so when his mask was revealed she didn't know what to think. But Wendy was in on it too? What the hell is going on?!

Natsu brought his had up to signal for Wendy to stop bowing and she did so, which further surprised the others. Who knew little Wendy was so viscous?

Their attention was back in Natsu when he began speaking again. "No need for that Wendy. Before I continue, I think I should explain my social position and who I truly am to those of you who do not know. It is clear that I can't hide this any longer. Please make yourselves comfortable, this may take a while." The others looked confused but eventually did so if they weren't before.

"My full title is Etherious Natsu Dragneel, Prince of the Alveraz Empire, next ruler of Alveraz and commanding general in the Ruling War. I am of the rare HDD species, only a few exist today and are the other generals in this War. HDD stands for Human Dragon Demon hybrid but due to the hatred each race has for each other very few ever get along and fewer to breed with another like them. Any questions so far?" The pink haired prince asked casually while the others just gaped at him.

"Wh-wha? What the hell is the Ruling War?! How have I never heard of this before?" Gajeel shouted in disbelief. If there was a war, why did everything look so normal?

On the other side of the room, Gray was fuming. ' _Etherious Natsu Dragneel? E.N.D? He lied to me, to everyone! That murderer_!'

"The Ruling War is a War that all species have been battling for centuries. At one point in time truces were made to quell the fighting, but it only brought more conflict and death. What we battle for is the lives of ourselves and our loved ones, if we are to die they would be vulnerable. You see we're constantly fighting each other because we are human, or dragon, or demon. Each think each other evil." Natsu stopped and smiled at this point and looked up wistfully as he said his next words.

"Yes, we each think each other is evil, but that is our nature, no? To feel threatened by something new? Some of us have seen past that and fell in love even though they were not supposed to. Even when they were caught, they didn't give up no matter how hard it was for them. Amazing what love can do, yes?" He asked them, looking at them from the corner of his eyes.

Makarov stares at him understanding the hidden meaning of his words. Fairy tail is a place of tight knit family, where you can be yourself and create unbreakable bonds. Love can make people stronger, but it can also break you.

"My boy, what are you getting at?" Master asked the slayer, fearing what is to be said.

"... Let's continue shall we? I'm not th-" at this point, Gray couldn't take it and charged. How can no one else see he isn't to be trusted?! He's a murderer! He killed his parents!

"YOU DEMON! YOU'RE THE REASON MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! DIE! ICE MAKE LA-" Gray was cut off by a sharp pain in his neck and the sudden inability to move his limbs, making him fall over.

"Did you not hear what dear Wendy has said? You will speak when spoken to. I will release you once you are calm, until then enjoy eating dirt!" Natsu said standing above him with barely tamed anger. How dare he accuse him of something he didn't do. A sudden pain in his chest, however made him sit back down to rest for a bit longer, he didn't let the others know that though.

From his place on the floor, Gray could feel the anger rolling off of the pink haired man and to be quite honest, he was terrified. _'What all have you been hiding, flame brain?'_

"Now as I was saying before I was interrupted, I am not the boy you think I am to be, as said many times before today. I want you all to understand this for many reasons." He trailed off again that day, thinking once more of his friends and their dying screams.

"That is enough for today, yes?" He asked looking back at them after his gaze wondered to the ground.

After everything he needed to say was said, he realized how parched he was and started to look around for the pitcher of water they usually keep close in the infirmary.

Erza saw this and grabbed the nearby pitcher and a glass before pouring some and giving it to him.

"Natsu, is what you said true? You're the Prince of Alveraz? Isn't he evil, didn't he attack towns for no reason and kill innocent civilians? I want to believe that is not the case." Erza said sternly but pleadingly from his right after he finished his water.

Despite her outward appearance, however, her thoughts were saying another thing.

 _'Oh my god! He's a prince! That's so hot! Wait... What the hell am I thinking? I don't like him!... Right?'_ She thought blushing, but the others took it for anger, so everyone hid on the other side of Natsu's bed.

"Erza, calm down. You say I attacked towns and innocents without provocation? The truth is that they weren't towns nor were there innocent people. I attacked enemy camps that were a threat to us and every one of my citizens. It was and still is a time of war. In fact, war is what did this to me." Natsu said trying to calm the beautiful red head down. Did he just call her beautiful?

Mokerov looked at Natsu with a calculating look, remembering the look he had when defeating Lullaby. Now that he thought about it, the same could be said when they were attacking Phantom Lord. He did only seem to get like that when actual fighting occurs and not in friendly spars. The look of a battle hardened warrior.

By that time Happy has already flown into Natsu's lap to seek comfort. When all the talk about war and the possibility of his best friend dying started, he quickly got scared. Not wanting to be alone, he sought that only Natsu could give him. However, one thought was flitting through this mind along with a bad feeling he just couldn't shake. _'He couldn't be evil, could he?'_

His worries went away when Natsu saw his discomfort and started petting the blue feline as he continued. "400 years ago, I was to destroy a dragon encampment where the evil dragons were converging to attack. Now, before I continue, I want you to know that there are ultimately two sides to be on. The side that wants peace between the three races, and the side that wants their race to rule. There are evil dragons and good dragons, evil humans and good humans, and evil demons and good demons. Two sides of the same coin. Back to the story, all I had to do was destroy livestock, resources, and as many dragons as I could."

He paused momentarily to collect his thoughts and to stop the stinging that has rose in his chest and in his eyes. He refused to cry. He hasn't cried for hundreds of years and he won't start now. No matter how close the soldiers were to him, they were just that. Soldiers. Meant to die in battle like the pawns they were.

Continuing with his story, "What we didn't expect was that there was nine battalions of enemy troops with another battalion in the way. We also thought it was just a single battalion of dragons. We were wrong, so very very wrong. We easily got rid of the human and demon sides which equaled out to about 3,000 combined. The problem occurred with the dragons. They were relentless in their killings, even as we were forced to fall back, they still came after us. They chased and slaughtered us like pigs till I was the last one fighting the Dragon General, the last dragon standing."

Natsu stopped to rest his tired throat and to drink some much appreciated water. As he rested, the others had horrified looks in their eyes, already knowing what was going to be said.

"This type of dragon was rare and very deadly- the poison dragon. As you can guess, he poisoned me before I managed to kill it. Due to fighting for two weeks straight with little rest, the injuries upon my person, and the poison, I fell into a deep coma that lasted for 400 years. The poison that the dragon injected me with not only is slowly killing me, but it also put me to sleep so that I could be out of their way. The poison is close to killing me off unless I find a dragon slayer able to eat my poison as the finest doctors have tried for the entirety of my coma to find a cure. Only one slayer is alive today that can save me and his name is-"

"So everything I knew about you was false? That none of it was real? Are we only pawns in your sick twisted game of chess?! Why did I even care about a sick bastard like you?! I'm glad you're going to die, then we won't be manipulated by you any longer! When you saved me from Phantom Lord and my father, I was so happy to finally have a family that loves me and friends that won't use me, but you go and turn around and lie?! I don't want to talk to you ever again!" Lucy Heartfillia has enough. Her whole life was full of boring parties where people acting like they cared and her father ignoring her existence. Why did everything have to be a lie?! She stood there, tears streaming down her face in rivers as her heart broke in pieces. She turned around to run out of the room, but a large tanned hand stopped her. It was Natsu's.

"Lucy, I have suffered so much heartache from my friends dying on me to ever care again. With a life as long as mine is, it tends to come with the package. I have had 1,800 years to realize this, much longer than your lifetime, no? Getting close to others hurts me because they will die while I will live. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings but I can't help it. Even now when I might die, I do not wish to further tear my heart apart," Natsu said evenly, even on shaking legs that slowly stopped shaking as his body got used to supporting his body once again. Only able to do so due to his dremonic (dragon demon) healing factor. It started Healing his lung passageways that the poison was recently removed from that caused internal bleeding. His headache didn't go away for some reason tho.

He turned back to the others after releasing Lucy who walked out not before hearing Natsu say, "If in another life, we could've been friends. At times I feel as if we were, but I can't. Not only would I watch you slowly die, you could do the same for me if I do not have this poison removed soon. If I die, this world dies too. There would be nothing left, the end of the world." Natsu says looking down. He wanted to be friends, but he couldn't. He didn't want to have that familiar but unpleasant feeling he got when one of his friends died. _'Huh... this guild is rubbing off on me'_

"What do you mean 'the end of the world'? Flame brain, I swear if you're lying about this I'll kick your ass. By the way, can you let me up? I don't know what you did but I'm calm now so I won't attack you." Gray said from the floor. ' _Huh, I forgot about him... Nah I'll just leave him there, it's rather funny to see him like this'_

"Well _popsicle_ if I was lying, why would I be here? If I don't stop this war with your help, the world will be no more. Just a pile of rubble. For the past 300 years there hasn't been a human that has taken a side willingly, except Wendy and a few others including you guys of course. Due to this we have no troops to end this war once and for all. I have been fighting this war for 700 years, 400 of them I've been fighting my own with my life. We need more slayers, without them we stand no chance. All we need is that final push. My particular race has been peacekeepers but then it was considered taboo and illegal punishable by death. I am the last of my kind, but not even I can stop this war. The numbers are dwindling. If I die, everything is over and anarchy ensures. Only Cobra can save me, the person I was talking about before I was interrupted by Lucy. However, he refuses to and he's rather have the end of the world." A heavy silence fell as the weight of the words washed over everyone, making them realize how seriously this was. Either they help and might die, or they don't and are guaranteed death.

"Natsu, my boy, you say that only Cobra can help you but he refuses...? Is there any way we can help? I could always pull some strings and make him. Of course I'll have to tell them a little about your situation but it should do the trick... I could also rally the humans to your cause, I think the only thing stopping you is them not believing you, declining your proposal and have them on the opposite side, of the lack of motivation as they have been neutral for so long..." Makerov asked worriedly but hopefully, wishing to help as much as he can. Under no normal circumstances would he usually do things but this was far from normal.

"Makerov... I... Do what you can," he knew how much the old man hated using his title for anything and it honestly surprised him the lengths he would go for him. Even when he lied to them, he would still help him.

As their hands were reaching to secure the deal, the ground started shaking and the sound of civilians screaming filled their ears. And was that... a roar?


End file.
